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Hong Kong sentenced for democracy activists to prison Wednesday for their roles in the city's occupy movement nearly five years ago a court found them and five others guilty on public nuisance charges earlier this month , the mass protests brought busy parts of Hong Kong to a standstill and eventually came to be called the umbrella movement two of the three activists accuse of leading those rallies Benny tie in chan chan man for each jailed for sixteen months however the third retired pastor true you Ming received a suspended sentence on account of his age and years of public service outside the court's pro democracy supporters held the yellow umbrellas a symbol of occupy , and I , I do see a small and , since the city was returned to China from British rule in nineteen ninety seven critics say Beijing has broken its promise to maintain Hong Kong high degree of autonomy under what's labeled the one country two systems arrangement the umbrella protests were one of the most significant challenges to China's Communist Party leader since Tiananmen Square occupy protesters demanded Beijing allow universal suffrage for Hong Kong protesters blocked major roads for seventy nine days in non violent sit ins before being forcibly cleared by police and without winning any democratic concessions from Beijing the trial of the activists were seen as the most significant legal move by authorities to punish those involved in occupy before their sentencing the activists leaders urged supporters to take to the streets this Sunday to protest against proposed extradition laws that would let people be sent from the city to mainland China for trial